Polar Opposites
by Okami No Yume
Summary: He’s flamboyant and eccentric. She’s sensible and practical. They are complete opposites, and yet they mirror each other perfectly. Twin Sophie/Howl oneshots. Fluff. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

Polar Opposites

Disclaimer: I clearly do not own Howl's Moving Castle. It belongs to the wonderful Studio Ghibli and the visionary Hayao Miyazaki. Original novel belongs to Diana Wynne Jones. I make no money whatsoever from any of my fan works.

This was written sort of spur-of-the moment, since I recently watched Howl's Moving Castle yet again. It is definitely one of my favorite movies of all time. The characters are memorable and charming, the animation is lush, the music is lovely…all in all, it's a gorgeous film, and I adore it completely. I love how it twisted the fairy tale dynamic and it all feels so fresh and original. (Then again, that's the Miyazaki magic at work.) I adore Howl most, because he was such an endearing character, and I couldn't resist writing about him and Sophie, though the entire cast of characters was wonderful. Anyways…enough of my blathering. Please kindly review, I adore feedback.

_Sophie_

He had an endearing, childlike quality about him, Sophie thought. At his best, he was high-spirited, dashing, handsome, a bit reckless, and the consummate rogue. He had a sharp intelligence, and an inquisitive mind, always eager to learn, and an often wicked sense of humor. At his worst he was vain, selfish, eccentric, egotistical, stubborn, cowardly, and his motives were often unclear and remained unknown to all but himself. Though his shortcomings were many, Howl Pendragon was a fundamentally good man, and he had a good heart.

Sophie knew, because she had been the one to restore it to him.

He was lithe and graceful, and his lanky yet elegant frame was never able to settle down for long periods of time. Howl was rarely quiet for long. His face was constantly animated with some expression, whether it was his brow furrowed in concentration, his eyes sparking with mischief of some kind and that characteristic devil-may-care smirk he wore. Sophie found herself endlessly fascinated, amused, and often bemused by his antics. He was good natured and friendly, and had a gentle way about him. He wasn't the great and terrible wizard that ate women's hearts, but he did have a tendency to steal them. Sophie couldn't count how many women in Kingsbury, Port Haven, Ingary, and all the other towns they visited had all swooned and sighed over the devastatingly handsome wizard.

Sophie showing them her golden wedding band was enough to deter them, more often than not, and she couldn't help the smug little smile that would cross her pretty features when sour or disappointed expressions would cross their faces.

Howl was hers, and she was his, and that was that.

Of course, there were times when he was frustrating, but Howl was Howl, and she loved him for it. He oozed charm and charisma, and he knew it. He was suave and had a debonair style about him. He had a wicked smile that no red-blooded female could resist. His vanity knew no bounds and his ego and pride frequently got the best of him.

Fortunately, Sophie was able to knock down said ego a few pegs more often then not, and she did her best to keep his pride in check. He also had a stubborn streak a mile long, and when he'd wanted to protect Sophie, he'd risked his life for her without hesitation. That was the moment when she knew he loved her.

He also loved getting her to smile and laugh with his fun-loving personality, and listened when there was something bothering her, no matter how trivial it was. Nothing was trivial to him. Everything concerning Sophie mattered, and she loved that about him. He had a tender, sympathetic way about him and made it clear every day that he adored and cherished her.

No matter his shortcomings, Sophie loved her eccentric, lively, flamboyant husband with all her heart.

Sighing in contentment, Sophie Pendragon put a hand on the gentle curve of her growing belly. She knew he'd make a wonderful father as well.


	2. Howl

Howl

She was beautiful, and she wasn't even aware of it. She wasn't even aware of the effect she had on him. His heart would flutter in his chest, and even skip beats when he inhaled her natural scent, when she kissed him. He'd felt warmth in his chest where his heart should have been when he'd shown her his secret garden. He loved seeing the wonder and awe on her pretty face when he'd brought her to it, and he was glad that he now had someone to share it with. They frequently headed there with Markl, Heen, and even the now decrepit (and rather senile) Witch of the Waste in tow. She was so feeble and weak that one would almost have to pity her.

Almost.

Well, Sophie did, at least. Whereas Howl himself felt nothing but revulsion and disgust towards her and could not believe he'd once pursued her for her affections. When he'd finally gained them after about a month of courting her, he'd gotten far more than he bargained for when he found out that she was actually an old hag that had used a variation of beauty charms and potions to temporarily restore her youth and entrap handsome young men like himself, and then steal their hearts. Her power had once been impressive, and he admitted to once having a grudging admiration for her in that regard. In a way, it was a shame that Madame Suliman had stripped her of her powers, but it wasn't like she hadn't had it coming. The Witch had lost her heart to greed and lust for power long ago, and had become an ugly, grotesque thing. Howl was grateful that even if he didn't have a heart, at the very least his scruples were still intact, if they kept him from winding up like her. He shuddered at the thought.

Howl had been surprised when Sophie had taken her in along with Heen, and couldn't help but be moved by her compassion. Her heart was kind and her nature gentle, and no matter who they were, Sophie could never turn anyone away in need. When Calcifer had suggested throwing the Witch of the Waste back out onto the wastes and leave her to her fate, Sophie had looked angrily at the fire demon, daggers in her gaze.

Calcifer had cringed under her furious glare, his flame shrinking. That was the moment that Howl had seen Sophie's protective streak, and fell even more in love with her. He felt a fierce sense of possessiveness and protection at the thought of Sophie. He knew that without a doubt, despite his cowardly nature, he would lay his life down for Sophie in a heartbeat if it ever came down to it, as he'd done when the bombs were falling on the hat shop. She meant the world to him, and every day their love for each other seemed to grow in leaps and bounds. Every day, he discovered a new thing to love about her. How she'd ever thought she was boring was beyond him. His little mouse had turned into a magnificent swan. With her starlight hair, she was his snowy dove, and all the other women were as crows by comparison.

In his eyes, his Sophie would always be nothing less than beautiful.


End file.
